1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reader for a smart card, especially an identification smart card, for a mobile telephone, of the type comprising a baseplate, carrying conducting contacts suitable for engaging with corresponding conducting contacts on the card, and means for guiding and actuating the card for its translational movement in a direction of installation of the card, between a card-gripping position in which the card is accessible and a use position in which the card is held in place with respect to the baseplate.
2. Discussion of Background
In the GSM standard, identification smart cards for cellular telephones are generally called xe2x80x9cSIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cardsxe2x80x9d. Such a smart card has an integrated circuit used for storing the identity of a subscriber having right of access to the network, as well as algorithms for authenticating the latter.
SIM cards are rectangular in shape. One of the corners is cut off as a bevel. This cut-off corner provides the polarization function, so as to ensure that the card is correctly positioned in the reader. The contacts on the chip are visible on the same side of a main face of the card with which they are flush.
SIM card readers of certain mobile telephones include connectors placed directly on the motherboard of the telephone. The connectors then occupy a large amount of space on the motherboard, which increases the area of the motherboard and therefore the overall size of the telephone.
In order to reduce the area of the motherboard, the smart-card readers are advantageously separated from it.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,659 describes, by way of example, a card reader of the aforementioned type. With this reader, the card is inserted into the reader through a slot made inside the body of the telephone. When the card is in its use position, it is completely concealed inside the body. Thus, in order to allow the user to remove it, a pusher is provided in the card reader. This pusher is controlled by a knob projecting on the rear face of the telephone.
However, the insertion and removal of the card are not straightforward since the pusher has a very short travel. Thus, the card, after it has been moved by the pusher, projects only a few millimetres from the reader and it is difficult to grip it by its free end.
The object of the invention is to provide a solution to the problem of the difficulty of handling a SIM card when inserting it into or removing it from a card reader, especially one installed in a mobile telephone.
For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a reader for an identification smart card, especially for a mobile telephone, of the aforementioned type, characterized in that the means for guiding and actuating the card comprise a movable slide-in unit for supporting the card, having means for immobilizing the card in said direction of installation, which slide-in unit can move slidingly with respect to said baseplate between an engaged position in which the card is in its use position and a disengaged position in which the card is in its gripping position, in that the slide-in unit comprises means for supporting the card forming, at least partially, an area of support for the card in its gripping position and said area of support is open for the insertion of the card in its gripping position in a direction of insertion which is offset at some angle to said direction of installation, said direction of insertion being parallel to said area of support for the card.
Depending on the particular embodiments, the reader has one or more of the following characteristics:
the conducting contacts on the card and on the baseplate are far apart in the gripping position of the card and the conducting contacts on the card and on the baseplate are in contact with each other in the use position of the card;
said area of support for the card in its gripping position is formed, on the one hand, by said means for supporting the card and, on the other hand, by a bearing surface made on the baseplate;
the baseplate has a ramp for guiding the card towards said bearing surface, which ramp is inclined so that its height varies along the direction of insertion of the card;
the slide-in unit has an end stop for the card in its gripping position while it is being put into position on the area of support in said direction of insertion;
the slide-in unit has a cut-away for manual access to the card in its gripping position in order to move it in the direction of insertion for the purpose of removing it;
the slide-in unit has a blade for masking the conducting contacts on the baseplate, which blade can be moved between a position in which it is away from the conducting contacts, when the slide-in unit is in its engaged position, and a position in which it masks the conducting contacts, preventing access to them when the slide-in unit is in its disengaged position;
the baseplate has a base through which the conducting contacts project and tabs for retaining the card in its use position in contact with the conducting contacts, said tabs extending so as to face said base;
the baseplate has surfaces for laterally guiding the card, which surfaces extend along the direction of installation of the card;
the baseplate has an end stop for the card in its use position during its movement in the direction of installation;
the end stop for the card carried by the baseplate and the means for immobilizing the card in the direction of installation have intercalated complementary projecting profiles, which can move translationally with respect to each other in said direction of installation.
The subject of the invention is also an item of telecommunication equipment, especially a mobile item of telecommunication equipment, especially a mobile telephone, having a card reader as defined above.
Depending on the particular embodiments, the mobile item of equipment has one or more of the following characteristics:
the item of equipment comprises a body in which a housing for accommodating a supply battery is defined, and means preventing the slide-in unit from moving towards its disengaged position when the battery is accommodated in the housing;
the item of equipment comprises a body in which a housing for accommodating a supply battery is defined, and means preventing the battery from being accommodated in the housing when the slide-in unit is not in its engaged position;
in the disengaged position, the movable slide-in unit projects inside the housing in a region normally occupied by the supply battery;
the body of the item of equipment has a recess made at least opposite the conducting contacts on the baseplate, making said conducting contacts accessible in the absence of the slide-in unit;
the slide-in unit, in the engaged position, extends into said recess and has a manoeuvring surface accessible through said recess;
the body of the item of equipment has a cut-away, which cut-away partially defines a passage for inserting the card in said direction of insertion towards its gripping position;
the body of the item of equipment has means for guiding the slide-in unit in said direction of installation.